Big Spring Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Inventory Unit Description: The Big Spring Historic District is a component of Ozark National Scenic Riverways, located in Carter County, Missouri. The historic landscape is about four miles south of Van Buren, on the west side of the Current River. It is the site of the former Big Spring State Park, which was first established in 1924 and then heavily developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1937. On March 17, 1981, the Big Spring Historic District was listed in the National Register for its significance in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, and conservation. Two separate periods of significance were listed; the first from 1925 to 1927 and the second from 1933 to 1937. The historic district was defined as a 315 acre rectangular area that encompassed the eponymous spring and the cluster of historic buildings and infrastructure built to facilitate recreation at Big Spring and along the Current River. In addition to expanding the acreage of the landscape, this inventory will also deal with an expanded period of significance, one that spans from 1925 to 1950. First, the years 1928 through 1932 should be acknowledged, as the state continued to maintain and develop the park prior to the arrival of the CCC. Second, it is contradictory to end the period of significance in 1937, when the nomination itself lists contributing buildings (WPA-built rental cabins) that were not built until 1938, at the earliest. Additionally, the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office has approved several structures built by the state in the 1940s as contributing features that are eligible for the National Register. The most recent of these, the May/Winters Quarters which housed the refuge manager, was built between 1949 and 1950, marking the end point for the period of significance. The Big Spring Historic District cultural landscape is not only an outstanding example of CCC Rustic style architecture and Naturalistic style landscape architecture, but is also highly unique for the preservation of the surrounding associated landscape. Through features such as the CCC Dump, the CCC Camp Ruins, the CCC Rock Quarry, CCC Fire Tower, and the deer pens, the landscape reveals much about the circumstances and necessities of an operational CCC Camp and functioning state park. Further contributing to the uniqueness and importance of Big Spring is the minimal amount of modern intrusions over such an extensive area. All circulation patterns essentially maintain the historic layout, very few modern structures have been built, and the extant historic structures have been very well preserved.

Big Spring Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Ozark National Scenic Riverways

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